Associated Press review of Curtains
11th February 2005, Associated Press (USA)
John Frusciante’s “Curtains” is everything the Red Hot Chili Peppers are not.
It isn’t filled with punk-funk riffs or feel-good grooves, and the songs _ too often musically spare and lacking the polish the guitarist is capable of when recording under the Chili Peppers banner _ are clunky ballads that focus often on self-loathing, fear, and personal doubt.
And with titles such as “Control” and “Hope” _ both of which are sluggish minor-key melodies with regret-filled lyrics _ it’s clear Frusciante has baggage.
“To be here you first got to die, so I gave it a try,” Frusciante sings on “The Past Recedes,” a pulsing acoustic jam that builds fast but falls short of the climax it’s trying to achieve. Ironically, that idea of coming back from the brink dominates every song on the album, it’s an apt self-reflection.
After recording “Mothers Milk” and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” with the Peppers and leaving at the peak of their fame in the early 1990s, Frusciante disappeared into a drug-laden obscurity to record a series of solo flops.
He’s back with the Chili Peppers now and clean, but he’s still putting out solo albums. “Curtains” is the sixth release in sixth months time, and like the others, it doesn’t seemed aimed at chart-topping success.
Recorded on an eight-track tape machine in Frusciante’s living room, “Curtains” has a regrettably rough production quality. It’s a surprise for an artist proven capable of doing so much more.
Each song plays like a confession booth hymn, tailored for Frusciante alone in his more dark and brooding moments. The album is like a diary in that respect, and it’s hard to latch onto. Even the prettier melodies such as “A Name” and “Your Warning” are drowned in repetitive depression you feel guilty hearing about.
_ Ryan Lenz, AP Writer
